We have been fielding a lot of calls and e-mails regarding the DTV transition and viewers not receiving KCTS 9. If you haven't re-scanned your DTV converter box or digital TV since Friday, June 12, please do so immediately.
KCTS 9, along with KSTW (11) and KCPQ (13) transitioned from their pre-transition UHF channel assignment to their VHF channel for DTV transmission. KING, KIRO, KOMO, and KONG all remained on their UHF DTV channels. This means you may have received our DTV signal on UHF 41 in the past but can't receive it now that we are on VHF channel 9. If this is the case, the first thing you need to do is make sure you have an all-band VHF/UHF antenna. There is no guarantee that what works for one person will work for everyone because there are so many variables, but I'm going to give some general guidelines here in this space.
For all of the below suggestions you will need to try adjusting your antenna to increase signal strength. Some converter boxes will let you see a signal strength on a channel it didn't find using the meter. Other boxes require you to adjust the antenna and then perform a full scan or partial scan to find the channel before you can call up the signal strength. Other boxes allow you to manually add a channel using the RF channel, our RF channel is 9. Once you can bring up the signal strength make adjustments to the antenna in one direction or the other with small changes and let the signal strength meter respond. Indoor antennas with rabbit ears may work best if they are about 20 inches long. Also, try closing the rabbit ears down all the way or about 6 inches long to see if that works. Try turning the antenna 90 degrees again while watching the signal strength.
If you are within 5 miles of our Capitol Hill (Seattle) transmitter you should be able to receive KCTS 9 with a non-amplified VHF/UHF indoor antenna. We have talked to some people that have had trouble using an amplified VHF/UHF antenna. The problem here is that the amplifier gets overloaded by the signal if you are really close to our transmitter - which is located at 18th and Madison. If you are on Capitol Hill and live really close to the transmitter tower, you may find a straightened paper clip to work best as an antenna.
If you live farther than five miles from our transmitter, or if a non-amplified antenna doesn't work for you, the first thing to try is a VHF/UHF amplified antenna. Again, follow the instructions for re-scanning or adding the channel manually to view the signal strength to maximize the signal by adjusting the antenna. Amplified indoor antennas top out at about 15-20 miles from the transmitter, which again, is located on Capitol Hill near downtown Seattle. The amplified indoor antenna's range is only an estimate and other factors can cause problems with its reach as well. You can also try adding an extension to the antenna coax so you can move the antenna around the room. If you have a balcony or window, try placing the antenna outside as a test. Lastly, if you have an amplified antenna be sure it is plugged into the wall for power.
There are some antennas being sold as "HDTV" antennas that have VHF/UHF amplifiers but the antenna is designed for UHF. These have been marketed by different companies and sometimes mislead consumers that it is a VHF antenna.
A true VHF/UHF indoor antenna will have two extendable elements often referred to as "rabbit ears". These antennas are similar to your old "rabbit ears" but they have a UHF antenna as well that is usually round in shape. The knob that some antennas have usually only adjusts the UHF antenna.
If you have tried an amplified antenna and it didn't work by adjusting it and moving its location, then you probably need an outdoor antenna. The size of the outdoor antenna determines how far away it can receive a signal. www.antennaweb.org and www.tvfool.com are good resources to help determine what size of antenna you need. If you have an outdoor antenna and is not working you may try an antenna pre-amplifier (more info in next paragraph) or a bigger outdoor antenna. We are the lowest frequency station in Seattle since KING, KIRO and KOMO are all on UHF. You really only need an antenna that can receive channels 7-69. This is also labeled as high VHF thru UHF. WINEGARD makes several antennas that can be acquired online that are high VHF thru UHF. This link has pictures of different types of antennas. Beware of the UHF-only outdoor antennas as they don't work very well at all for channels 9 and 11.
Another option to increase the signal for outdoor antennas is to use an antenna pre-amplifier. This is a two piece device -- the amplifier goes just below the antenna on the antenna mount and the power supply device is installed in the house. Be sure to install both devices and plug the power supply into an outlet. If you have multiple splitters in your antenna feed, try removing them as a test. Also, if you have a splitter with multiple unused outputs, replace it with a splitter that has only the number of you outputs you need, maybe two or four. Each splitter reduces the signal to each TV and the more outputs a splitter has the more it reduces the signal.
If you need help installing an outdoor antenna or adjusting an indoor antenna the federal government has contracted with Installs Inc. They can be contacted at 1-800-582-4250 or dtvhelp.install.com.
If you still can't receive ch. 9, we would like you to complete one of our TV Reception forms for over-the-air antenna viewers. The FCC would also like consumers to contact them with reception issues at 1-888-225-5322 or fill out this FCC form.
At this time, KCTS 9 has no plans of adding translators or repeaters and we are operating at our full licensed power. We also will not be moving back to UHF channel 41. We are not authorized by the FCC to operate on channel 41.
Comments
Posted by Slade (not verified) on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 8:25am
I'm by Seattle Center and I did the bread tie wire antenna and rescand plenty and I get nothing. the signal is never out of the weak! played with my rabbit ear antenna as well and got nothing!
We are in the dark and not even the blog is giveing a clue and I can type it in black and white here!
Um are we waiting for something to happen or are you no longer a public channel? some of us John Q Public types would like a responce that is a educated responce.
Posted by Guest (not verified) on Tue, 07/07/2009 - 7:20pm
fix it! fix it! fix it!
like everyone else, since the transition kcts is missing. I have an amplified uhf/vhf antenna. As someone else observed, prior to the transition, kcts came in at 95%.. it was my best channel. Now its zero!
upn11 has gone too.
Posted by Guest (not verified) on Sun, 07/12/2009 - 3:12pm
Poor job! As a public station it seems you are turning your back on a portion of the public who watched your station pre conversion but not post conversion. Perhaps Front Line should investigate KCTS 9.
Posted by Lindsay Paulson (not verified) on Sat, 07/04/2009 - 2:39pm
July 4. Today we have lost all KCTS channels suddenly. I have to side with the KCTS subscribers who question the decision by KCTS to move to VHF, a decision that was not revealed to its subscribers until after the first deadline passed and many of us had acquired new antennas. KCTS is the only major station on VHF. Although we received a signal from KCTS up to today, we have had the signal weaken or be erratic over the past couple of weeks. We receive all non-cable Seattle-based stations here on North Hood Canal on the eastern shore of the Olympic peninsula. Apparently, we now no longer get a signal from KCTS. As subscribers, we are disappointed in the station's decision and must reconsider our support.
Posted by Don Russell (not verified) on Fri, 07/03/2009 - 11:04am
How about posting a new reception report map.
How far North are you still being recieved?
Rescanned a tv in Burien came in clear post transition.
Everett-rescanned got nothing on 9, 9-1,9-2 or 9-3.
Receive 11 and 13 but 9 doesn't come in at all.
Posted by Michael Kischner (not verified) on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 3:29pm
Can somebody please answer this question from an older fellow whose head is spinning with terms? We finally gave in and got "limited" or "basic" cable from Comcast -- channels 2-30. After auto-programming our new Sony HD TV, we get channels 4.1, 5.1, 7.1, and 9.1. This tells me that we are getting their digital signal. What I want to know is whether I am getting High Definition. Only today did I learn that HD and digital are not the same thing. I thought they were. How would I know from looking at the screen whether I am getting an HD transmission?
Posted by Arthur Allen (not verified) on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 6:59am
Here's another tip: turn off your computer. VHF frequencies are more susceptible to interference from electronic devices than UHF, and KCTS now won't come in at all with the computer on. I know, I should devote my full attention to KCTS and not multitask, but now I have no choice. I noticed this same problem years ago with analog channels and I wondered if digital signals would be able to overcome such interference. I hope my upstairs neighbor doesn't get a computer.
Posted by Andrew Fomin (not verified) on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 3:52pm
I am a user of TV Guide Over The Air (TV Guide on Screen). As I understand it, PBS stations carry this service in most of the markets. My HD DVR depends on this service for program schedule info and clock synchronization. I have just updated the firmware in my recorder to be able to receive this service via DTV transmission. Have you already migrated this service to DTV?
Posted by JRH (not verified) on Sun, 06/28/2009 - 6:23pm
We had the same experience as many who have commented here. We put up a new antenna last summer and thought we were all set. After receiving good DTV across the dial for nearly a year, we lost just one station on June 12—KCTS.
I went to my backyard to retrieve my old VHF antenna, a local electronics shop for some connectors and a coupler, and I mounted the old antenna on the bottom of the new mast holding our new HD-high VHF antenna. Now, using both antennae in tandem, I have KCTS back without losing anything else.
It was a little extra work and a little more expense, but it still beats paying cable or satellite service fees for the rest of my natural life.
Posted by Guest (not verified) on Sun, 06/28/2009 - 5:05pm
"At this time, KCTS 9 has no plans of adding translators or repeaters and we are operating at our full licensed power." Does this mean you have found a windfall amount of money and don't need any contributors? If I can't get 9.1, 9.2, and 9.3, obviously I won't be hearing your pledge drives and can't respond to them either.
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